Love of a Parent

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel reading for today is Luke 2:41-52 with a focus on verses 51-52 – Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increases in wisdom and years, and in divine and human favour.

One of the greatest joys in life is parenthood. Granted not everyone gets to experience such joy. However, being in the presence of young people and seeing babies grow to adulthood is an amazing thing. Danielle and I have been blessed with two wonderful children who are now adults. We have had the opportunity to watch them flourish and enrich the lives around them. Sure it hasn’t been all roses but the good far outweighs those moments. As a parent, we have had to adapt our styles over time. From being a doer, shower and teacher to that of an advisor. Or in Danielle’s case, peacekeeper. All the while hoping that they don’t make the same mistakes as we did along the way and have a better life than we experienced.

However, with the gift of parenthood comes great responsibility. Our actions and behaviours, both good and bad, tend to influence those around us. The old saying “an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is correct in more ways than one. Whether we like it or not children tend to become the people they are closest to. Those little quirks become part of the tapestry of their character.

The gospel reading gives us an insight into Jesus as he moves from being a child into adulthood. We hear about those who influenced his life such as his parents, teachers and community. And how those influences shape the person that he becomes, his mission and how from humble beginnings, his ministry grew and flourished.

We pick up the text today with Mary and Joseph returning from the Passover Festival. Nothing unusual. Something that all faith-filled Jewish people would have done back in the day. Some suggest that Mary and Joesph’s annual pilgrimage demonstrates a level of piety. That they were doing it just to be seen or because they had to. We know that Mary and Joseph would have been aware that Jesus was special. We are told in Luke’s account that Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel who said:

“you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

Based on this I would suggest that Mary and Joseph’s actions were that of dutiful parents. Being strong in the Jewish faith, they wanted to expose Jesus to ‘proper’ teaching for him to fulfil his calling.

The next part made me think that Mary and Joseph had failed as parents. How could they lose the Messiah? However, we are told by Luke that it is normal for a child to be away from his parents and travel with other people in the community. Not to mention the travelling party would have been quite a large group. Mary and Joseph would have thought that Jesus probably would have been hanging out with his friends. If you have ever been camping with a group of friends like we have, children tend to find kids of similar age and just have fun. Spend the day doing stuff. So this situation is not as unusual as we initially think.

Then the realization kicks in that they have lost their child. We travel with Mary and Joseph on their emotional rollercoaster ride as they try to locate Jesus. Luke emphasises this point by stating:

“When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)

Mary exhibits the emotions that every normal, loving and caring parent would. She anxiously searched for her lost son and was overwhelmed to find him. An emotion of frustration and anger that turns to that of relief and love.

There is an assumption here though. That Jesus was “lost.” Luke notes that after Jesus is located, he retorts with “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). It is as if Jesus is saying, “you shouldn’t be surprised, you know who I am. You know I need to spend time with my Father.” Jesus isn’t talking about his earthly father but “Our Father who art in Heaven.” He wasn’t lost at all. He was at home in his father’s house.

And what is Jesus found doing at the temple? He is surrounded by teachers, listening learning, and growing in knowledge. The exact thing that any loving parent would have wanted to see from their child. And to everyone’s amazement, Jesus was excelling. As Luke 2:47 recounts “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Jesus was demonstrating knowledge beyond his years. A knowledge that was gifted from his Heavenly Father, brought into the world by his earthly Mother and nurtured by the people around him.

And from this platform, we see the boy transition to manhood. To take the initial step towards His calling. To be the Messiah, the single sacrifice for one, for all. As we read a little further, we are told by Luke that Jesus goes on to grow his Ministry, a “Kingdom [which] will never end” (Luke 1:33). That Jesus “went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:51-52).

If we take a step back to the Old Testament reading for today we are introduced to the story of Samuel. In looking at these stories, we can draw parallels between Samuel, Jesus Christ and their parents. Between their stories and ours. We know that Samuel is a child of Hannah and Elkanah. He becomes a great prophet and is supported by God in establishing Kings. He unites the tribes under the one kingdom. We are told in 1 Samuel 2:26 that “the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people.” Samuel was supported by nurturing parents who encouraged and provided the best for him. Just as Mary and Joseph did for Jesus. A wonderful parallel that Luke portrays about Jesus in today’s Gospel reading.

And it is through the characters in the Bible we draw meaning. We can take a moment to reflect on our character. The flaws and imperfections and how they impact us and those around us. That despite our sinful nature we have an opportunity for justification through humble repentance. That there are good examples for us to follow. One that exhibits patience, kindness and love. And that despite the evil and brokenness in the world around us we can trust that God is working in all things for our good. God is working to oppose the proud and exalt the humble.

Friends we are called to reflect Jesus in the world around us today. Just like the loving parents of Mary and Joseph or Hannah and Elkanah, we are encouraged to build people up around us. We are called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and his saving redemption. To shine a light of hope to those that we walk beside. To point the way to salvation, through our words, behaviours and actions. Just as Jesus did in his Ministry and Mission.

How do we do this? Well, we are blessed with the truth of the Bible. A personal instruction book. A tapestry of stories and characters that allow us insight into how they lived. And as we look back on our forefathers, we can learn from their mistakes. We can harness the knowledge and wisdom. And reflect the good into the world around us.

In the Epistle reading, Paul writes to the people at Colossae about how they should interact with each other. He writes about how we behave and how little things can have a huge impact on those around us. Paul says:

“clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

Mary and Joseph are glorious examples of loving parents. They were invested in their child’s growth. They were diligent in exposing Jesus to Jewish traditions and the finest teachers. To set him on the path to success. But today’s story is bigger than Mary and Joseph. It’s bigger than the boy Jesus who reconciles the world with God. Today’s story is about a community. That despite being the Son of God, Jesus needs a community of people around him. A community of parents, teachers and travellers. All minor characters with meaningful roles. And it is through this web of interaction that we see him grow and flourish. We see Jesus allowing himself to be nurtured and in turn, nurture those around him. A care so great that it takes him all the way to the cross.

Dear friends, we are part of the community in today’s story. We are sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. We have been adopted into our Heavenly Father’s family. And it is in this family we are encouraged to extend the hand of grace to everyone. No matter how small. From the greatest to the least we are called to inspire people to live a purposeful life. To grow together in Christ. To bear with each other and build each other up. To be a living vessel, an example of his light, reflecting love in the world around us. A love that binds us together in perfect unity.

Amen.

Let us pray. Lord God, our heavenly Father. Thank you for surrounding us with good examples to follow. May we humbly grow in your favour, bearing good fruit and sharing the good news with those who don’t know you. Amen.

Garth Schultz

Christmas Eve 2024 (German)

Heiligabend 2024

Als Kind habe ich die Anzahl der Nächte bis Weihnachten heruntergezählt. Ich war immer aufgeregt, als die Zahl auf zehn herunterkam.

Adventskalender sind heute beliebt. Sie beginnen mit dem ersten Tag des Advents oder manchmal einfach mit dem ersten Tag Dezember. Jeden Tag wird eine neue Tür ins Kalender geöffnet, während die Kinder die Tage bis Weihnachten herunterzählen.

Ausnahmslos verkündet am Tag nach Weihnachten jemand in der Familie: „Nur noch 264 Nächte bis Weihnachten!“

Und alle Kinder seufzen. Es kommt uns so lange vor.

Aber stellen Sie sich vor, wie lange das jüdische Volk auf das erste versprochene Weihnachten gewartet hat. Der Prophet Jesaja sagte voraus vom kommenden Messias. Und sein Zeitgenosse, der Prophet Micha, sagte, dass der Messias werde in Bethlehem, in der Stadt Davids, geboren werden.

Dies ist, was Micha sagte:

Aber dir, Bethlehem in Efrata, in einer der kleinen Gemeinden in Juda, aus dir soll der kommen, der Israel regieren soll, dessen Ursprung in frühester Zeit und in den Urzeiten ist. Wenn die Gebärende gebären wird … und er wird Frieden bringen.‘ (Micha 5:2,3,5)

Das war siebenhundert Jahre vor der Geburt Jesu. Für diejenigen, die mitzählen: Das sind 255.500 Nächte! Das sind eine Menge Nächte, die man auf Weihnachten warten muss.

Nach der Zeit der Prophezeiungen von Jesaja und Micha über die Geburt des kommenden Messias sprechen die Propheten und das Volk alle von ‚jenem Tag‘ und dem ‚Tag des Herrn, der kommen wird‘.

Deshalb ist die Botschaft, die die Engel den Hirten brachten, so aufregend.

„Heute“, sagten sie, nicht irgendwann in der fernen Zukunft, sondern schließlich, 255.500 Nächte nach der ersten Verheißung von Weihnachten, „ist euch in der Stadt Davids der Retter geboren, der der Messias und der Herr ist. Und ihr werdet das Kind, in Windeln gewickelt, in einer Krippe liegend finden.“

Nach über 700 Jahren war es endlich Weihnachten.

Und nicht einfach dekorative Engel an einem Weihnachtsbaum, sondern echte Engel kamen, um seine Geburt zu verkünden und seinen Namen zu preisen.

Und diese Engel erschienen nicht, um ihre Verkündigung zu machen und ihr Lied zu singen, im Palast des König Herodes, oder im Palast des römischen Statthalters, oder im großen Haus des Hohepriesters, oder in der Versammlung des Sanhedrin, des jüdischen Führers, oder bei irgendeiner anderen Versammlung der Mächtigen und Reichen.

Sie erschienen auf einer Feld außerhalb einer kleinen Stadt in Juda vor einer Gruppe einfacher Hirten. Und ihre Botschaft: Eine frohe Nachricht! Nach mehr als 255.500 Nächten ist Weihnachten gekommen. Der versprochene und lang erwartete Messias, der allen Menschen Frieden bringen wird, ist geboren! Und er liegt in einer Krippe zwischen den Tieren, gleich unterhalb des Hügels im Dorf Bethlehem. Geht und heißt ihn willkommen!

Nach so langer Wartezeit auf Weihnachten war es nicht das, was irgendjemand erwartet hatte. Ein König, der in einem Palast geboren wird, vielleicht, oder ein Kind, das dem Hohepriester geboren wird. Aber ein Baby, das Bauerneltern in einem Stall in einem kleinen Dorf geboren wird. Das hatte sich niemand vorgestellt. Aber es war genau das, was der Prophet Micha 700 Jahre zuvor vorausgesagt hatte.

Und wissen Sie was? Es war in Wahrheit nicht die Geburt, die viele erwartet hatten, aber es ist die Geburt, die die Welt brauchte.

Und Jesus wuchs heran und wurde nicht der Messias, den viele erwartet hatten, der als Richter und mit einem Schwert kommen würde. Aber er wuchs heran und wurde der Messias, den die Welt brauchte, der eine Botschaft des Friedens, der Hoffnung und der Liebe brachte.

Und dieses Ereignis brachte der ganzen Welt wirklich gute Nachrichten und große Freude. Deshalb feiern wir alle 365 Nächte eine Geburt, deren Vorbereitung 255.500 Nächte gedauert hat, vom ersten Versprechen bis zur Ankunft des neuen Königs.

Amen, und eine frohe Weinchacht.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Christmas Eve 2024.

Invariably, the day after Christmas someone in the family will announce:
‘Just 364 more sleeps until Christmas.’
And the children all sigh. It seems such a long while.

But imagine how long the Jewish people waited for that first promised Christmas. The prophet Isaiah told of the coming Messiah. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light … for a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (9:2,6-7). And his contemporary, the prophet Micha, said the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, in the city of David,

This is what Micah said:

‘But to you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Juda, from you shall come forth one who is to rule Isarl, whose origin is of old, from ancient days, when she who is in labour will give birth … and he shall be the bringer of peace.’ (Micah 5:2,3,5)

That was seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus. For those counting, that is 255,500 sleeps! That is a lot of sleeps to wait until Christmas.

After the time of the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah about the birth of the coming Messiah, the prophets and the people all talked about ‘that day’ and the ‘day of the Lord that was coming.’ It was something in the future, something great that would happen some day. ‘When Messiah comes …’ people would say. And they kept this up for 700 years.

So that is why the message to the shepherds that the angel brought is so exciting.

‘Today,’ the Angel said. Not some day in the distant future, but finally, 255,500 sleeps after the first promise of Christmas, ‘Today is born to you in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Messiah and Lord. And you will find the child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’

After more than 700 years it was finally Christmas. And there were not simply decorative angels on a Christmas tree present, but real angels came to announce his birth and to sing praises to his name.

And these angels didn’t show up to make their announcement and sing their song in the palace of King Herod, or in the palace of the Roman governor, or in the great home of the high priest, or among the assembly of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leader, or among any other gathering the powerful and wealthy. They showed up in a paddock outside a small town in Judah to a group of lowly shepherds. And their message: Good news of great joy! After more than 255,500 sleeps, Christmas is here. The promised and long-awaited Messiah, the one who will bring peace to all people, has been born! And he is lying among the animals in a manger just down that hill in the village of Bethlehem. Go and welcome him!

After such a long wait for Christmas, it was not what anyone was expecting. A king born in a palace perhaps, or a child born to the high priest. But a baby born to peasant parents in a stable is a small country village. No one had imagined that. But it was exactly what the prophet Micah has said would happen 700 years earlier.

And do you know what? It was not the birth many were expecting, but it is the birth the world needed. And Jesus grew up to become not the Messiah that many expected, who would come in judgment and with a sword. But he grew up and became the Messiah the world needed, who brough a message of peace, hope and love.

And this event truly did bring good news and great joy to all the world. So once every 365 sleeps, we celebrate a birth that was 255,500 sleeps in the making, from the first promise to the coming of the new king.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

‘Expect Joy’

4 Advent
Luke 1:39-55

As many of you know, we are expecting our first grandchild in the coming months. When our daughter recently visited us she and Kathy talked much about babies and pregnancy. I found things to do in the garden!

It is not that I am not interested in such things as ultrasounds, babies kicking, birthing plans and the latest ideas on infant nutrition. It is simply that after an hour or two, I feel the subject has been thoroughly covered!

And if two expectant mothers meet up, you can be certain that the politics and the weather will never come up.

The story in today’s gospel is such a story. It is a story of two expectant mothers, meeting up. They are cousins.

And neither one of them expected to be expecting.

Elizabeth is the oldest woman anyone had ever heard of having a baby. She is probably in her sixties. She and her husband Zechariah had stopped hoping and praying for a baby decades ago. Her pregnancy is, in fact, so improbable that her joy is also tinted with embarrassment. The women of her village surely will think she is not actually pregnant. Perhaps she has a tumour or growth. So she secludes herself in her home. She stays out of public sight – until there can be no doubt that she actually is expecting a baby.

And Mary? Well, if her cousin Elizabeth is the oldest woman in the land who is expecting, Mary is certainly among the very youngest. She is still a teenager. She has been engaged but not yet married.

And if Elizabeth’s pregnancy is improbable, then Mary’s is impossible.

She is not married. She has not known a man. She is still a virgin. But, of course, no one is going to believe that story. So she, too, wants to stay out of the public view in her village. The trip to her cousin Elizabeth’s home, about two day’s travel away, is a good excuse to be away for a few months.

And there is something else unusual about these two pregnancies.

Both had been announced by an angel.

An angel had appeared to Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah when he was in the temple in Jerusalem serving as one of the priests. When the angel tells him that their prayers for a baby had been answered he could have forgiven for thinking that the prayers of he and his wife, or perhaps God’s response, had gotten lost in the divine post. That was decades ago. They had not prayed for a baby in many years. Nonetheless, the angel told Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would have great joy in the birth of a son and that many others would rejoice as his birth as he would do great things in the sight of the Lord because the spirit of Elijah would be upon him. For a first century Jew, and one trained in the scriptures as Zechariah was, there was little doubt what the angel was saying. His son was going to be the forerunner who prepares the way for the Messiah.

When Zechariah pointed out that his age and the age of his wife made this, well, rather improbable, and asked for a sign, the angel responded sternly. The angel announced that he was not just any angel, but the archangel Gabriel who stands regularly in the presence of the Almighty. There was no mistake about the message. And if Zechariah wanted a sign, he would have one. He would not be able to speak a word until his son was born!

When he returned home, we imagine that through a series of signs, gestures and writing he got the whole story out to Elizabeth. And sure enough, just as the archangel had said, Elizabeth became pregnant.

But the archangel Gabriel was not done with his tasks. Six months later he had another visit to make, and another announcement. This time in a village in Galilee. There he came to a young girl named Mary. He told this young girl that even though she was not yet married she was going to have a son, and that she should call him Jesus, for he would be great and would rescue his people and would be called the Son of the Most High.

Like Zechariah, Mary also had questions. Perhaps by this point Gabriel was thinking, ‘Why can’t they simply believe what I tell them.’ But perhaps after the experience with Zechariah he was expecting questions. And the most obvious was this: ‘How can this be,’ asked Mary, ‘since I am a virgin?’ It was a perfectly reasonable question.

And Gabriel goes easier on Mary than he did on Zechariah, who as a trained priest serving in the temple should, after all, have known better than to ask God to ‘prove it’.

The sign Gabriel gives Mary was that of her cousin Elizabeth. He told Mary that even though her cousin was now an old woman, and well past her child-bearing years, she was in fact six months pregnant.

So the angel leaves and Mary hurries to visit Elizabeth.

So Luke’s Gospel begins with a double annunciation, two stories with the Archangel Gabriel announcing the birth of a very important child. This is then followed by two birth stories. The account of the birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zechariah is followed by the more famous story of the birth of Jesus.

But in between these two stories we have the meeting of the two unexpectedly expectant mothers.

Apart from Zechariah and Joseph, they are the only ones who know what God is about to do. And while it is not yet clear what Zachariah or Joseph are thinking at this point, it is clear that both Elizabeth and Mary not only understand what God had promised, but they believe it.

God had promised that both births would bring joy, and joy is certainly the dominant feeling when the two women meet.

We are told that the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy when Mary came to her door. Elzabeth took this as a sign that this was the Messiah for whom her son would be preparing the way.

And, filled with the Spirit, she speaks: ‘Why have I had this honour, that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me? For as soon as I heard your voice the child in my womb leapt for joy. Blessed is she who believed that the prophecy of what has been promised by God would be fulfilled.’

Now, it would seem that there must have been some conversation between Mary and Elizabeth before these words are spoken, for Elizabeth knows of the message to Mary and Mary’s response to it. And she immediately confesses faith in Messiah, her Lord, who is still early in his first trimester. Talk about getting in early to confess faith in Jesus!

Then we have the famous response of Mary, called Mary’s Song, or the Magnificat, after the opening words of the song.

Every Jew, and certainly every Jewish woman, would have immediately recognized echoes of the song of Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel.

Hannah had prayed to God asking that he look upon his lowly handmaiden with favour, in words virtually identical to those of Mary. And Hannah begins her song with ‘My heart exults in the Lord, my strength is exalted in my God.’ It was a favorite story and song of Jewish women.

And Mary would have known the song well, and in her excitement at the confirmation of the angels announcement through Elizabeth she responds with humility and praise. She responds with joy.

And the joy is not just for her. In a series of couplets, in Hebrew style, with echoes of not just of Hannah’s song, but of many of the Psalms, Mary lists the many ways God is about to turn things upside down. The lowly will be lifted up, with the haughty will be brought low, the hungry will be fed and the rich will go away empty.

God is not just coming into the world to make a show of things. God is coming into the world to change things.

And her song ends with praise of God who remembers his people and who shows mercy.

After this Mary remains with Elizabeth for three months. We are not told if she leaves just before the birth of John or just after. Luke does not want the stories confused, stories he certainly has gotten from Mary herself. The interlude of the meeting of the two expectant mothers has taken place. It is time for Mary, now clearly starting to show her own pregnancy, to return home and bear the weight of the gossips. And it is time for Elizabeth to give birth and for Zechariah to finally be able to speak.

The nativity narratives are about the move from birth announcements, to the story of two births.

But we should not pass over this meeting of the two expectant mothers in the midst of these accounts too hastily. For it is here that the mothers take centre stage. It is here that they both have a voice. It Is here that, taking comfort in one another’s company, and comparing their stories, they both confess an unwavering faith in God and in what he is about to do.

It is here that perhaps the only two people on earth who not only know what God is about to do, but really believe God is about to do it, come together.

And their mood? It is not one of fear or apprehension, but of pure joy.

Elizabeth and Mary know what God is about to do. They are preparing to give birth. And they are also preparing for the dawn of a new age.

And they are both overjoyed. They are the first to feel this joy. But they will not be the last. The joy at what God has done and continues to do through coming among us in human flesh continues to reverberate in our own time and in our own lives.

How do we prepare for Christmas? How to we prepare for the coming of God in flesh among us?

With only a few days left before Christmas we might be thinking of the shopping we need to do, the presents left to buy, the travel arrangement to make, the cards to send. But in the midst of everything else there is really only one way to prepare for Christmas, for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, of God among us. And that is the way that Elizabeth and Mary have shown us.

We prepare with hope, love, peace and joy, just as they did. For it is hope, love, peace and joy that God has brought into the world and into our hearts through the birth of Jesus. Any other response misses the point of Christmas.
Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Would you like to talk about it?

Text: Luke 3:7-18
Advent 3.

When families contact the church to enquire about baptism, we don’t tend to respond like John the Baptist did to those who came enquiring about his baptism in the wilderness. He called them ‘a brood of vipers and asked, Who warned them to flee from the coming wrath? We usually just say “Would you like to get together and talk about it?”

But John is different. His baptism is different, his approach is different. I wonder why?

Why the confronting language? The brood of vipers, the wrath of God, the axe lying at the root of the trees, the winnowing fork, the chaff being burnt. What’s John doing? What’s he driving at? Today we consider –

The warning
The way and
The welcome by which he seeks to call and draw and gather people back home to God.
The warning, the way, and the welcome.

First, the warning. You’ve already heard part of it but John goes on to tell the crowd to “produce fruit in-keeping with repentance.” He says: “…do not begin to say to yourselves: ‘We have Abraham as our father’ for I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”

Some of these folks who came to John in the wilderness were there under false pretences. They didn’t think they needed John or his Baptism of repentance. They didn’t think their lives needed challenging or changing in anyway. They felt secure in knowing they were descendants of Abraham. They were from good stock, which they believed gave them a place of privilege and superiority over others.

John’s warning is a warning against pride and self-importance. Things we are all susceptible to when we think too highly of ourselves and not highly enough of others. John the Baptist is helpful because he gives us a different perspective: an outside perspective on what really needs chopping and changing in our lives, if we do want to turn back to God.

Imagine driving along in your car and you think everything is fine. You have the radio on, the air conditioner on, the petrol tank is full because you saw it a week or so ago at a bargain price, and you filled up. So you’re pretty pleased with yourself.

All seems well…but then someone drives up alongside you and they are yelling at you insistently to wind down the window, trying to tell you you’ve got a flat tyre. Or your boot’s open. Or your engine is on fire, or something. Now you’d be crazy to say “Ah they don’t know what they’re talking about—it looks fine from in here. There’s no problem from my perspective from where I sit things look great.”

Surely you’d listen to the person outside the car because they see things you don’t.

John is like this, he brings an outside perspective; an outside voice; an unconventional approach. But we ignore him at our peril, we remain proud and smug and self-important at our peril. Turn around John says; turn around to see that God has more for you than just you! That is his warning.

What about his way? How does he go about it? John’s message has this great levelling effect. The valleys are filled in, the mountains are made low. The crooked roads become straight and the rough ways become smooth. He brings down the proud and lifts up the humble. And some of the proud do wake up to this fact, and they ask him this question, “What should we do then?” What is the fruit of repentance? How should our lives change? When we turn to God, when we are baptised, when we do trust him, what changes should that bring?

John explains to them very practically and very ethically how it looks in each of their situations, and he says for those who have plenty it looks generous, it looks like sharing, it looks like not being too attached to worldly possessions. It looks like giving things away, not just our old things that we don’t want any more. But maybe new things too.

“Anyone who has two shirts” John says, “should share with the one who has none and anyone who has food should do the same.” Most of us have far more in our pantries and in our wardrobes than we really need, and John says turning to God involves turning away from being solely interested in our own needs, and turning towards the needs of others. Turning away from greed, turning towards generosity.

The tax collectors ask “What about us” and John encourages them: be fair and equitable. Don’t rip people off don’t take more than you should. Don’t be dishonest on your tax returns. The soldiers asked “What about us?” and John replies: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely. Be content with your pay”. They’re called to not be harsh with people to not accuse people and to be content with what they earn.

That’s a good one for all of us to learn to be satisfied to be content. The surveys show that most of us, when asked how much money it would it take for us to feel truly secure and be truly happy, respond by saying “Just a little bit more than we have, not too much more, but a little more would be nice.” John encourages us to learn to be satisfied, to learn to be content as a way of living out repentance and living out our baptism. And for each person in each station and each vocation it looks slightly different.

But the point is that the way of John puts us all on a level playing field and calls us all to be deeply aware of the needs of others on that playing field. What opportunities might we find to do that as Christmas approaches and we witness to family, friends or strangers in need.

At this point the crowds are starting to wonder about, John. Who is this guy? And they wonder if he may in fact be the Messiah, the way he talked, the fire in his belly, the authority in his voice, the commitment to God. But he quickly set them straight on that count. John answered them all: “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”.

John’s ministry was always preliminary and always intended to give way to the ministry of Christ. John’s was a baptism of repentance, Jesus’ was a baptism of the Spirit. John’s was a message of law, Jesus’ was especially a message of grace. John told us not to trust in ourselves. Jesus gave us something better in which we can trust, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of sins, the healing of our hurts.

Together John and Jesus sing a beautiful duet; the law and the gospel, music to our ears. Together they show us how far away from home we have strayed, how urgent it is that we turn back and how ready God is to welcome us back when we come like the prodigal son. We read in Zephaniah that the Lord says: “At that time I will gather you, at that time I will bring you home.” Coming home to God Is a beautiful thing, a joyful thing, a wonderful thing.

We were welcomed into God’s home and family through our baptism. We might not remember it. We might not think about it on a daily basis. But that doesn’t make it unimportant or change the reality of what God did. At our baptism a relationship was established between you and your heavenly Father and you were welcomed into his home.

May God fill you with the promise and joy of coming home to him in this Advent season.

Amen.

“Is John the Baptist a Preacher of Good News ?”

After 67 years, this is Dr. Gordon’s last Sermon.

On this second Sunday of Advent, which season of the Christian year consists of the five Sundays leading to Christmas Day, the Gospel and the Epistle forcefully remind us of the meaning of Advent. It literally means ‘Coming’. While Advent speaks to us of Christ’s coming as the promised Messiah of Israel it speaks to us today of the Lordship of Christ as the coming Revealer of His kingdom as the Lord of all future time.

The exhortation to watchfulness in the lessons from the gospel for today is an exhortation not to take God’s grace for granted. We are not to think that the fulfilment of God’s purpose is an automatic process and that some how or other we are on the winners’ side because of who and what the church or we are. The kingdom will come as a thief in the night precisely because it is God’s free and unmerited gift. And that day will bring many surprises.

Until we appreciate this background to the account of John the Baptist’s preaching and his subsequent baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river, we will find it difficult to understand John’s preaching as ‘good news’. Who of us would regard what he has to say as decisively helpful in understanding our relationship to God. Who of us are helped by the knowledge that the truth of our life before God and each other in the final analysis depends upon the depth and truth of our repentance. John proclaimed to the people who came to hear him that they should repent in the light of the immanent appearance of God’s righteous judgement; the coming of God’s kingdom.

If we are tempted to think that John’s preaching of the coming judgement was directed at those who may be thought to be concerned only with outward works of righteousness rather than inward motivation of the heart,(the traditional examples being the Scribes and the Pharisees for whom John did indeed reserve some very special criticism in the other accounts of his preaching in the gospels: Mat 3:7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?) This view only intensifies the problem of John’s preaching for us. For who can be sure of the motives of any of our actions done or left undone? We know that the motives of our actions are at best mixed and at worst an expression of our preoccupation with our own self-interest. This was an intense problem for Martin Luther, alone with God in his monastery cell. How do I know that I have repented enough to receive the grace promised in the Eucharist.

He kept his vow to, “Help me, Saint Anne. I will become a monk.” only 15 days later July 17th, 1505. There were seven monasteries in Erfurt. He joined the most rigorous one. It was the Augustinian order of friars. He was 21 years old, and he had a singular focus on saving his soul.

“If I could believe that God was not angry with me, I would stand on my head for joy. When I was a monk, I wearied myself greatly for almost 15 years with daily sacrifice, torturing myself with fasting’s and vigils and prayers and rigorous works, like self-freezing, not having any blankets, and I almost froze myself to death, earnestly thinking to acquire righteousness by my works.”

His problem is shown by Freud and others to be a universal problem of human consciousness. Freud called the boiling cauldron of our unconsciousness the Id and we spend our life attempting to put a lid on the id of our unconscious mind. This causes all sorts of neurosis by which we attempt to deceive ourselves about the reality of our thoughts about ourselves and others. Luther thought he could solve this problem by some drastic measures, such as by freezing himself in the snow or by flagellation, beating himself with a whip. All to no avail for him he remained his miserable self.

To transfer the source of repentance from outward actions to inward motives only intensifies the problems created in attempting to understand John’s preaching of repentance as “good news”. His proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the light of the coming judgement is extremely “bad news’ for all who hear his words. For none can come and stand before the judgement seat of God confident that the truth of their life can be understood as grounded in our capacity to repent. We all know what the prophet Jeremiah knew and Sigmund Freud confirmed for us, that the human:

(Jer 17:9) “the heart is deceitful above all things; and desperately corrupt– who can understand it?”

But when we reach this rather melancholy conclusion concerning the medium and the message of John the Baptist, we must remember that we have left out of consideration the one vital factor which enables John’s preaching of repentance to be heard as exceedingly ‘good news’ and not ‘bad news’ at all in this time of Advent.

This factor is the presence in the crowd who came to hear John preach of the one-man Jesus of Nazareth. With the rest of the people, He heard John’s exhortations in view the coming judgement; with them he had himself baptised in the Jordan; with them he received a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The good news in the Baptists proclamation and action is this unheard-of action of Jesus, the Holy Son of God who though He knew no sin, by His action in accepting at the hand of John the Baptist a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, He begins his public ministry by declaring His solidarity with sinners. No one came to the Jordan that day to hear John’s call for repentance more laden with sin and guilt than He, no one needier before God than he. He who is God’s Son. He who is different from all other people, in the inexplicable freedom of His grace negated the distance between Himself and all other people by becoming in His Baptism wholly one with us: not in our holiness in our alienation and estrangement from God and each other. He does this by receiving from John the Baptist a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

In St Matthew’s gospel it is precisely this anomaly, this scandal, of which John the Baptist becomes acutely aware. He says to Jesus that that it is he, John, who needs to be baptised by him, Jesus, rather than the other way around. But against John’s protest at the contradiction involved in Jesus “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” Jesus insists upon John baptizing Him with this baptism “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. Because Jesus insists by receiving such a baptism, “We fulfil all righteousness.” Here we must understand that Jesus fulfils “all righteousness”, by placing himself in the wrong. He does what is right by placing himself in the wrong before God, for the sake of all those whom He now represents who stand in need of repentance, for all sinners, for all of us.

So, when Jesus is baptised by John with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin in the light of the coming judgement of God it is not of His own sin that he repents and confesses. It is the people’s burden of guilt with which He identifies Himself as He goes down into the water of Baptism: as He receives John’s Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Precisely because He is the One who in this strange way identifies Himself with us, with our human alienated condition He is also the One, the only One who embraces the coming judgement of God; since He now embarks upon a public ministry through which He more and more becomes entangled in the godfosakenness of our human lot. Until at the end of His life He fulfils His strange journey into the far country of our alienation from God by crying out after his declaration of godforsakenness, τετέλεσται “tetalestai” “It is finished”. The glory of God, of which at Christmas we hear the angels sing, heralding Jesus’ birth, this glory is the glory of the humility of God. A God who does not count it too small a thing to declare His unity and solidarity with sinners. God’s glory is revealed here, as is made plain in the holy gospel of St John and the 17th chapter, as Jesus treads the ever-descending path of humiliation to the cross. It is in the cross that the unity of will and purpose of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit is revealed: And it consists in this: the mysterious delivering up of the Son by the Father together with the giving up of the Father by the Son for the sake of the threatened and lost human creature.

In this way also we come to see how appropriate it is that we understand the call to repentance by John the Baptist in the light of the coming judgement of God to be wholly good news. In the light of Jesus action in submitting to this Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins John becomes a harbinger, a witness, to the advent of the salvation of our God. A true messenger of the light that has dawned and shines upon us all. That light which St John the Evangelist tells us, in the first chapter of his gospel, which, “enlightens every person who comes into the world.” For in Christ our humanity has been restored to its wholeness in relationship to God and our fellow human beings and it is this restored humanity of Christ which is offered to us as the truth of our life as through the waters of our own Baptism as we are incorporated into membership of the very Body of Christ, His church, of which He is the heavenly Head.

As in the beginning God brought forth a cosmos out of the primeval chaos by means of His Word and Spirit, whom St Irenaeus calls the two hands of God: as in the beginning God triumphed over all that was opposed to the creature’s existence and brought life out of darkness and disorder, safeguarded the life of the creature from the encroachment of chaos, so here in the recreation of the creature God’s act of reconciliation is wrought by His Word and Spirit out of the water of Jesus baptism.

His descent into the waters of baptism signal Jesus’ descent into the watery chaos from which God called forth the cosmos. Here this chaos is identified. In Jesus condescension it is seen to reside in humankind’s alienation from God. In his baptism Jesus makes himself one with our rebellion by receiving at the hand of John a baptism of repentance: he who knew no sin, who is ever one with the Father, makes himself vulnerable for the sake of the creature, identifies himself with its existence. Threatened as it is by the impending abyss of nothingness to which it has committed itself in its grasping after the futile possibility of being its own saviour and helper: its rejection of grace.

Instead of our human lives crumbling away into meaninglessness of what Shakespeare calls our “dusty death.” Jesus gives to our human life it’s created meaning and purpose. As the risen and ascended One, the Victor of Gethsemane and Golgotha, He gives us nothing less than Himself and all that is His by means of His Word and sacraments: He promises Himself to us; He gives us back our true human being, restored in reconciled fellowship with God and each other.

Dr.Gordon Watson.

Lift up your heads.

1 Advent 2024
Luke 21:25-36

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28

These words of Jesus are meant as a clear reference a famous messianic prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14. Significantly, the text in Daniel is associated with and often read at Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year, which was last week. It is a text about the enthronement of the Messiah. This is what the text in Daniel says:

“I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.”

Jesus can talk of his return with great power and glory on the clouds on the basis of his enthronement as king. Jesus’ words in the Gospel reading for this first Sunday in Advent, and the text from Daniel chapter 7, tie the church year together. We finished with a reminder and celebration of Jesus as King. Now, we begin the new church year with a reminder that this king, the Son of Man, will return to earth, just as he has ascended into his heavenly throne.

And that is what Advent is about. It is about expectation and preparation for the coming of Jesus. And it is about expectation and preparation for both of his comings to earth. It is about preparation for Christmas, for his coming to us in flesh. And it is about his coming again in power and kingly glory. Both themes run through our Advent season, and so we find what seems to us this strange mix of Bible readings, songs and prayers that both anticipate Christmas and the end times.

But that is Advent. It is a preparation for celebrating God’s first sojourn among us, beginning with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. And it is equally a preparation for his coming again in power and glory.

As a text focusing on the second coming (or coming again) of Jesus, the text in today’s Gospel reading carries the usual aura of apprehension and even fear at what is to come. We have signs in the heavens (appropriate for one returning from the heavens) as well as the seas. The heavens and earth will be shaken and there will be much anxiety and even panic about what is coming. We are told to be alert for these signs. To be prepared. Because Jesus coming will catch many off guard and unaware. And we are told that when these signs begin to appear, the generation of people who see them will not pass before Jesus returns in power and glory to earth.

Many throughout the history of the church have become focused on just what these signs mean. And also the meaning of ‘this generation will not pass away.’ Is it the generation Jesus was speaking to? Some who first heard these words would have thought that. But it seems in context much more likely to mean the generation that sees the signs he is speaking about. And just how long is a generation? Is it 20 years? 40? 60? 100? For those who become obsessed with biblical prophecy and trying to predict the time of Jesus’ return this becomes a big question.

And so also the question about reading the signs in the heavens and the earth. Every time there are special occurrences in the skies, such and comets, eclipses of moon and sun, solar flares, alignment of planets, etc there is another wave of those claiming that these must be the signs Jesus spoke of. And the same with massive storms in the ocean, and especially tsunamis. But the thing is, it has always been this way. Since the time of Jesus (and long before as well) these celestial occurrences have been observed, and there have been massive storms in the seas and tsunamis.

The one thing we know for certain is that everyone in the last two thousand years who has boldly predicted that the signs in the heaven that they observed, for the storms or tsunamis they experienced, are the signs that Jesus was talking about, has been wrong. But that does not stop or give pause to our modern day readers of prophecy who write books and flood the internet with their predictions.

Their ability to so clearly read the signs and to cause great anxiety is a bit like some of the more extreme climate catastrophists among us. There is no doubt that the impact human activity has on climate is a serious issue. But it seems that we cannot have a single hot or cold day, or heat waver or storm without it being a sign of the end. When I was young a heat wave was a heat wave and a storm was a storm. Cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes struct certain parts of the world every year, and there were always massive tornadoes in the American mid-west. But now it seems every weather event is a sign of the end. It is proof positive that climate change is about to bring an end to life as we know it. Some talk as if these things have not occurred before, or are somehow more extreme or common that they were 20, 40, 60 or 100 years ago. Even though both our memories and the records suggest this is not the case. But the reporting of such events has become more alarmist and sensational.

They are always certain that recent and current events are the portent of the end. But then the rains come again, as they always have, the seas calm again, as they always have, the floods subside, as they always have. Life goes until the next dramatic weather event somewhere in the world.

It is the same with the self-appointed readers of biblical prophecy. And the same with the heavenly signs, the roaring of the seas, and also the ‘wars and rumours of wars’ the Bible speaks of. They come and go as they always have. We get back to our routines until the next event or series of events fires up the readers of prophecy and those who read their books and follow their websites become anxious once more.

It is a predictable and sad cycle. But it is not what Jesus intended for his people when he said these words. He wanted us to be watchful, not panicked. He warned that those around us who did not know him and his love would be anxious and frightened about what was coming. Jesus did not mean for us to feel this way.

In fact, quite the opposite. Jesus told us these things that we might have hope, that we might rejoice that he is coming again.

Notice again the words of verse 28, the words so often overlooked by the prophecy readers and the predicters of the end times. Jesus says, ‘when these things begin to occur, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, ‘run and hide.’ He doesn’t say, ‘be very afraid.’ He doesn’t say, ‘be anxious.’ In fact, he says quite the opposite. He tells us that when times are difficult, when we think this must surely be the end, to stand up and lift our heads in anticipation and celebration, because our redemption is near.

To say the least, it is not the reaction one would expect when everyone around us is anxious or in absolute panic. It is not the reaction one would expect if the world as we know it really was coming to an end.

But it is precisely the reaction to be expected from those who know and love Jesus. It the reaction of knowing that the king who is returned in great power and spectacular glory is also coming and the just and loving and forgiving king. The return of Jesus is, first and foremost, the return of our king, and saviour and friend.

When Jesus calls us to stand and lift up our heads instead of being anxious and fearful, he is calling us to hope.

And hope, as it happens, is the traditional theme of this first Sunday in Advent.

Preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. Expecting his return. These things are not about fear and anxiety. They are about hope.

And it is hope not despite of all the signs and turmoil we experience around us. It is hope precisely because of these things.

If all is going well in the world and in my life, then it would be odd for me to be anything other than optimistic about the future. We see this in the regular consumer optimism surveys. When the economy is going well, people are optimistic and have plans for buying, holidaying or staring a new business. When the economy is not going so well, or is forecast to have troubles, then we see the opposite. People are worried and put off any many commitments.

Imagine if we did just the opposite. If we started a new business venture or plans a big holiday when all the economic indicators were bad. Some would say this was simply foolish. Others would call it overly optimistic. Or perhaps we might simply call it hope.

This is similar to what Jesus describes in today’s text. The whole world is anxious and fearful. And not without reason. Yet his followers are to stand and lift their hands in celebration and excitement. That is true hope. It is hope built on the confidence we have in Jesus. That the king who is coming is the king we know to be just and loving and kind. The king we know as our friend, the one who gave his life for us.

Christian hope is about expectation and preparing. But not the kind of fearful expectation and preparing we see in so-called ‘preppers’ getting ready for the end of the world or some impending disaster by barricading themselves in.

Genuine Christian hope is one of joy and peace. It is one that is confident in the coming king when everyone around us is anxious and fearful. And this is true in our individual life journeys just as much as in the journey of world history leading toward the physical return of Jesus as king.

We might feel anxious at reports of wars and cyclones and fires and droughts, but these, unless we are in the midst of them, often seem a safe distance away. But when crisis and trouble strikes close to home, things are very different. When the bad news from the doctor is delivered to us, or someone close to us, it seems like the end of our world. When it is our job that is lost, or our relationship that breaks up, it really does seem like signs that the end is near.

But the message of Advent, the message of the coming kings, calls us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus even at these times. That is true hope. To rejoice and trust in Jesus even when all around us is fear and anxiety. When we can hope and trust in the coming king, not just in the face of far aways signs and portents and troubles, but also in the face of the challenges and troubles we will surely face in life, then we have understood the real meaning not just of Advent, but of hope in our coming king.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

King Jesus brings Life.

Christ the King Sunday
John 5:19-29

King Charles recently visited Australia. A few protested, most were happy for pastorm the visit. No one was too worried. There would be castles sieged, no jousts were held in his honour, no one was sentenced to imprisonment in the tower. The reality is that modern kings are very different to kings in the ancient world. Modern kings serve mostly a symbolic function. They open and close parliaments, reassure the people in times of difficulty, and support charitable projects. Kings in Jesus’ had no parliaments. Their advisors did not get a vote. The ruled by absolute authority. And no one every asked them what their favourite charity was. The king, quite simply, wielded absolute power within his realm. A good king was much loved by the people, a bad king much feared.

All these images of what it means to be a king swirl about in our heads when we hear that this Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year, is Christ the King Sunday.

Just was does it mean that Christ is King? And why do we finish the Church year on this note?

In Jesus’ time many wanted to proclaim Jesus king. The crowds on the shore of lake Galilee wanted to do this after he fed them. But he slipped away from them. He has not come to be that kind of king.

Pilate asked Jesus bluntly if he were a king. Jesus did not deny it. In fact, he admits as much, but also tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. He was not the kind of king Pilate was thinking of.

Jesus is indeed a king. And at the end of the church year, when we traditionally focus on that which is to come, we remember that Jesus is king and will come again to rule on earth and in heaven.

But Jesus is no ordinary king. He is king of kings. He is the king to whom all earthly rulers are subject. Jesus is king not just of a particular land or people. Jesus is king of all creation. And he is not just king in the past, bu tin the present and future. There are no limits to his reign; there are no borders to his kingdom.

In today’s text we learn some things about Jesus and what kind of king he is.

Jesus makes three statements in today’s text that begin, ‘Very truly,’ or in more traditional language, ‘Verily, verily.’ Or in Aramaic/Hebrew ‘Amen. Amen.’ It was Jesus’ way of saying, ‘Listen closely, I am going to say something very important.’ And in each one of them there is a focus on the life that Jesus brings us as king.

The first of these ‘Very truly’ statements is about who Jesus is in relation to the Father. Jesus is not just a representative of the Father. He is the Son. Jesus is not king because he has won an election. He is king because he is the Son. And what the Father is, the Son is, and what the Father does, the Son does.

But what work does the Father do?

The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father and all those who follow him. (verse 20)
The Father gives life, the Son gives life (verse 21)
The Father who is judge of all, give the role of judge to the Son (verse 22)
Just as the Father is honoured, so the Son is to be honoured (verse 23)

This is who Jesus is as king. He is loved by the Father and loves, he is given all authority to sit in judgement and rule, and he is honoured just as the Father is honoured. These truths given under Jesus’ first ‘very truly’ statement in this text are at the heart of Jesus’ kingdom and at the heart of Christian belief. Under king Jesus there is a unity of divine love, glory and life.

But the main point Jesus makes is that he does what the Father does. And the Father raises people from the dead and gives life. And in the same way, the Son also give life.

In the second ‘Very truly’ statement (in verse 24) Jesus says what he does for those who follow him. Jesus says that those who hear his word and believe in him will be rewarded. This sounds very much like an earthly king, who promised those who will follow him land, or freedom, or riches, or high office. But Jesus promises none of these things. He promised something much bigger. He promises eternal life. So once more, the theme of this second ‘Very truly’ statement is life.

Jesus says that the one who believes in him ‘has eternal life, does not come under judgment, and has passed from life to death.’ It looks like Jesus is promising us three things. But he has promised us one thing, in three different ways. In typical Hebrew fashion, he has said the same thing, but in different ways. If we have eternal life, we will not come under judgement, or condemnation. And if we are not condemned, we have eternal life. And if we have eternal life, and are not subject to condemnation, then we have already passed from death to life, even though we have not yet experienced physical death.

So, Jesus as king promises those who follow him life. We have it by virtue of being gifted eternal life. We have it by virtue of not being subject to judgement and condemnation, which leads to death. And we have it by virtue of already passing from life to death.

In quick succession we have had two ‘truly, truly’ statements. Now comes yet a third. ‘Very truly I tell you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear him will live.’

Once more, the theme is life.

Jesus is not only the king. And he is not only the king who promises life. He is the king of the future who delivers on his promise. In this passage Jesus talks about the end of days and the resurrection of the dead. And he tells us that while this time is yet to come, it is also already here. In the kingdom of king Jesus what he has promised is already a reality. Jesus takes us into his own divine time. Our time, in this present life, becomes something different in in Jesus, it becomes the time of God. And the time of God, the time of King Jesus, extends to all times. Jesus gives life in the future, but also already now.

And here is the big reveal. Jesus can do this because just as the Father has life in himself, so does Jesus have life in himself (verse 26). That means that he can give us life because he is lord and giver of life. Jesus and the Father are one. Only God has life in himself. And only the one who is life can give life.

Jesus indeed in no ordinary king. He is king of kings and lord of lords. He is Creator and giver of life. He is the long-promised king of Hebrew prophecy. He is the present king who rules in a kingdom not of this world. And he is the future king who will give life everlasting to all who hear and believe him and will establish his unending kingdom on earth as well as in heaven.

Even so, come, king Jesus.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worrthing>

Who needs enemies?

Pentecost 27
John 15:18 – 16:4

When I was 10 years old, at the start of Year five, a new boy moved to our school and was put in my class. I knew his name but had not met him or talked to him. The second week of school he confronted me on the playground. ‘I hate you,’ he said. ‘You are my enemy and you’d better watch your back.’

Well, to say the least I was taken aback and a little upset. And the strangest thing was that I’d never met him before or spoken with him. He knew nothing about me.

I went home and told my mum what had happened. She was certain that I must have insulted him somehow … said or did something. But there was nothing. ‘You have to ask him,’ she said. ‘Then you can apologise for whatever he thinks you did.’

‘So I asked him the next day if I had said or done something to make him upset.’

‘I just hate you,’ he said, ‘and I’m gonna get you.’ Then he walked off.

Apparently he was of the belief that he needed an enemy. Someone he could hate and blame all his problems on. And I was the one. There was no reason to it. And no way to convince him that I was not his enemy.

It was my first glimpse into real hatred. It is not rational and cannot be reasoned with.

Sadly, we have experienced all too many examples of hatred in recent months that many of us have found hard to fathom. In the recent US election campaign we found extreme elements on both sides convinced that the other was evil. My own family in the US is considering whether they should cancel Thanksgiving meal because of the animosity on both sides. And then there is the centuries old hatred spewing out of the Middle East in which both sides are convinced that there is one version of events, one version of history, and one side that is justified in hating the other. Many of those who have sought to mediate an end to hostilities have given up in frustration as neither side is willing to negotiate.

John in his Gospel, is much more interested in love than hatred. He talks of the love of the Father for the son, of the Son for the Father, and of the Father and the Son for those who believe in the Son. John speaks of the love that those who follow Jesus have for one another. And in the text immediately preceding today’s text we hear of the greatest love that anyone can have, for Jesus to lay down his life for others. And he tells his disciples that he has given them a new commandment, that they should love one another.

Jesus says all these things as part of his farewell speech to his disciples at the Last Supper. He said these things to prepare them and to comfort them.

But then the tone shifts dramatically. In today’s text we find a departure from this recurring theme of love in John’s Gospel. In today’s text we find Jesus warning his disciples that they will be hated, just as Jesus himself is hated. Jesus warns his disciples that a time is coming when people will hate them and seek to kill them. And they will do this simply because they bear the name of Jesus. ‘People hate me,’ Jesus said, ‘because they do not know the Father. And thus they also hate the Father, and will hate you.’

But why would Jesus be hated? After all, he proclaimed the love of God and the forgiveness of sins. He healed the sick. He stood up for the poor and oppressed. Why would anyone hate Jesus?

Jesus says that it was to fulfil the words of scripture, ‘They hated me without cause.’ He is referring to Psalm 69:4.

‘More in number than the hairs of my head

Are those who hate me without cause;

Many are those who would destroy me,

My enemies who accuse me falsely.

What I did not steal, must I now restore?’

And here we find a great truth about hatred. It is like the hatred I experienced from the boy in Year Five, or the hatred we often see behind those from different political camps or ethnic groups. In its truest and purest form, hate has no rational cause. We might seek some reason for it. We might be convinced that if only we could find the reason for the hatred we could bring it to an end. But true hate is beyond reason. That is the point of this Psalm of David that Jesus refers to. Hatred has no cause. It adheres to no reason.

We often use the word ‘hate’ loosely. We hate a certain movie or song. We hate days that are too cold or too hot. ‘I hate the weather,’ or ‘I hate it when the garbage collection is late’ we say casually. But when we encounter genuine hatred we find that it is something very different to dislike.

Those consumed by hatred have been so blinded by hate that they are willing to believe anything bad they hear about ‘the other’ and reject anything they hear that might seem positive.

That is the sad nature of hatred.

And no one experienced it more fully or unjustly than Jesus.

And on the eve of his arrest he reminds the disciples that as his followers they can expect the same hatred.

But it is not them. It is nothing personal. And it defies all reason. It is simply because they bear the name of Jesus, who also was hated without reason.

But why does Jesus tell his disciples this?

Again, just as was the case in his preceding words, when he talked about the coming of the Holy Spirit and about love, Jesus tells his disciples these things to bring them comfort.

Not exactly the words of comfort anyone would like to hear. People will hate you for no good reason and will seek to kill you. How does that bring comfort, we might wonder?

Jesus tells his disciples, and all of us who bear his name, that there will be those who will hate us simply for being followers of Jesus. But when this happens we are to remember that Jesus was hated too. We are to remember that that following Jesus will cost something.

And most importantly, we are to remember that we are not alone. Jesus has sent his Spirit to be with us. When we feel completely alone, hated for no reason, The Spirit is with us and will give us the strength and words to speak.

Jesus calls all who follow him to love each other, just as he has loved us. But he does not promise that everyone will love us. He goes out of his way, in fact, to warn us that we will at times experience quite the opposite, just for because we follow him.

But Jesus wants us to know that when this happens, it is a reminder that we are his. If we were not his and he did not love us, then we would not be hated for following him. And he wants us also to know that we are not alone. That he has sent his Spirit to stand with us and guide us and comfort us in such times.

But still, we ask, there must be some reason for such hatred. There must be some cause that can be addressed.

In fact, even though Jesus tells us that he (and by extension we) are hated without cause, he does provide an explanation. ‘They hate me,’ he says, ‘and they hate you because they do not know the Father. They do not know the one who sent me’ (verses 15:21 and 16:3).

And here is not only a clue as to the nature and cause of this hatred, but also an indication of how we might address it.

Hatred originates not in any reason or logic, but our of lack of knowledge. The first persecutors of the early followers of Jesus were the Jewish authorities. They thought they were doing a righteous service to God (16:20). But in fact, they do not know God.

One of these, you may recall, was a young hothead named Saul, from Tarsus. He stopped persecuting the followers of Jesus only when he himself met Jesus – when he learned to know who God truly was. In fact, he not only stopped persecuting Christians, but he changed his name to Paul and became one of the greatest advocates for the cause of Jesus.

So we will indeed encounter people who hate Jesus and hate those of us who follow him for no clear reason. They might see us as their enemy, even. But that does not make them our enemy. It does not mean that we, in turn, should hate them.

Because knowledge can bring an end to hatred. And a knowledge of Jesus, that is, knowing not just who Jesus is, but knowing Jesus a friend, dissolves all hatred.

So it when confronted by senseless hatred. Especially when it is directed at us simply for following Jesus, pray for that person or those people. Speak the words that the Spirit gives us to tell them who Jesus is. That is what Jesus asks us to do in this text.

They may not listen. But then again, neither did Saul of Tarsus, and neither did most of us – until we did. Until we ourselves came to know Jesus and his love, we too were caught up in a world of unreasoned hate.

But in Jesus, we have become bound up in his world of transforming love that overcomes all hatreds.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

John 3:16, The Sequel.

Pentecost 26
John 3:22-36

In the first half of this chapter we had the story of Nicodemus visiting Jesus at night. That account comes to its highpoint with the famous words in verse 16, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.’ This verse has been adopted by the American evangelical movement as their theme verse and it is hard to go to a view a sporting event in the US in the past several decades without seeing a few placards saying ‘John 3:16’, not to mention the bumper stickers. I am not sure how many people who see these placards go to their phones and look up John 3:16, but I did read some years ago that this verse in now the most famous and best known in the Bible.

But what does it mean? We often take it is isolation from its context. After this verse John gives us a small commentary on the meaning of this passage in verses 17-21 in which he talks about the Son coming into the world not to bring condemnation but salvation, and to be the light of the world. Most people looking to understand this key passage stop reading there. But the remainder of the chapter belongs with the first and they are meant to be read together. It provides a parallel story to that of Nicodemus, but this time the character who appears alongside of Jesus is John the Baptist.

Many might argue that verses 22-36 are an entirely different theme to the first half of the chapter. Indeed, in the Gospels a change of geographical location generally indicates a change of theme. But not in this case. There are too many deliberate links to the themes of verse 1-16 to believe anything other than that John saw the account of John the Baptist as a continuation of several key themes from the first half of the chapter. We do not have time to go into these verses in depth, but some of the ‘echoes’ from verses 1-16 should be noted.
The themes of baptism, water (v. 23) and Spirit (v. 34) continue. The concept of ‘from above’ is found in the ‘from heaven’ of verse 27 and the ‘from above’ of verse 31. (same word, άνωθεν, as in v. 3). In verse 32 he testifies to what he has seen personally but no one hears his testimony. This parallels v. 11 – as well as the earthly and heavenly things. Verses 28-30 pickup strongly the Messianic theme of the first half of the chapter. V. 36 concludes the section with a contrast again between the two ways or destinies of eternal life versus wrath. The second half of the chapter, therefore, ends on the very same note as the first.
The contrast with John the Baptist further clarifies who Jesus is. Verse 35, which also speaks of agape-love, provides an interesting parallel with 3:16. The ‘all things’ parallels the ‘world’ of v. 16. John uses the two terms as synonyms in much the same way that the Psalms do this. And the ‘whoever believes’ of verse 36 clearly parallels the second part of verse 16. The intriguing difference is now that Father loves the Son and gives him all things (the world). But this can only occur in light of verse 16 where learn that the world is the object of God’s love, and the Son is given for the world.
So the two stories, laid out side by side, would look something like this (see bulletin insert):

1-10 Nicodemus speaks with Jesus ↔ 22-30 John Bapt speaks about
Jesus
5,6 Water and Spirit ↔ 22-33 Water and Spirit

11 Testifies of what he has seen in ↔ 32 testifies of what he has seen
heaven but no one believes him in heaven but not one
believes him
12 earthly/heavenly things contrasted ↔ 31 earthly and heavenly things
contrasted
13 Son comes from above ↔ 31 Son comes from above

John 3:16 ↔ John 3:35,36
God loves world → gives Son The Father loves Son → gives him all
Whoever believes has eternal life ↔ Whoever believes has eternal life

In the ancient Semitic world repetition, including concentric and chiastic structures, were frequently used to emphasise or stress certain key points. Occasionally several key phrases or ideas recur in a parallel passage (similar to the kind of parallelisms found in Hebrew poetry like the Psalms). These draw the reader’s attention. Then there often occurs a key verse which parallels a previous key passage but turns around some key concept to particularly emphasise a point. The modern reader often misses these literary and interpretative cues. John, a Jew writing in Greek, would have been quite familiar with this style. If one views John 17-21 as a commentary or interlude by the Evangelist that highlights the importance and meaning of verse 16, then there are some important parallels between verse 1-16 and verse 22-36 that cannot simply be dismissed as coincidence.

The parallel ending to each of these two stories cannot be missed. John 3:35,36 is a deliberate parallel to 3:16. These two passages explain one another. Only the God who loves his Son can give him for the world, and only the God who loves the world can give all things (the world) to his Son. Both the Son and the world are loved by God the Father, and both are given to/for the other. Belief, or faith, on this foundation, is the way to eternal life.

Not only does the Father give the Son to the world, but he gives the world to the Son. God’s love for the world is his motivation for giving his Son, and his love for the Son is his motivation for giving him the world. These verses taken together form a literary device called a chiasm, in which the two main points are inverted to explain and interpret one another.
It is called a chaism because of the Greek letter Chi, which looks like an ‘X’. If you wrote out the first half of John 3:16, the underneath it wrote out John 3:35 and then drew a line connecting Son in each verse, and world (or all things) in each verse, the two intersecting lines would form an ‘X’ or a Greek letter Chi.

God loves world → gives it his Son (John 3:16)

God loves Son → gives him the world (John 3:35)

So we have here a literary device (a chiasm) inside a literary device, the telling of parallel stories. And all this serves to highlight the key point. It is a point that culminated in verse 35 and 36, not verse 16.

But we tend to stop with John 3:16, getting only half of the point. The full story is only seen when we take John 3:35 and 36 into account. God loves both the Son and the world. And God gives them to one another.

Imagine a Jewish wedding ceremony in the which the Rabbi takes the bride and groom’s hands and joins them together. That is what is happening here. And it is not hard to imagine such a scene when just such an image has been brought up a few lines earlier in verse 29. So the image of a wedding ceremony has already been planted in the reader’s mind. Now we have this mutual giving in love of the Son to the world and the world to the Son. It would be a strange and incomplete ceremony in which only the bride was given to the groom, or only the groom to the bride.

So that most famous of all Bible verses, John 3:16, has a sequel: John 35 and 36. And this second occurrence of the teaching, in the complex literary structure that John employs here, is meant to be the culmination of these two stories. Yet it continues to be overlooked by readers who stop at John 3:16 thinking we have heard all we need to hear. And John 3:16 is indeed a very powerful passage. It is hard not to stop when we have read it an meditate on its meaning. God loved the world (that is to say, us) so much that he gave his Son that we might have life everlasting.

But this isn’t the end of the story. It not the end of the message of this text. For the next, parallel story, as we have seen, ends with almost the exact same words. Only this time, God so loved his Son that he gives him the world. The Son is ours. He is God’s gift to us. We learn that from John 3:16. But we are also his. We belong to Jesus because the Father has given us to him in love. That is what we learn in John 3:35.

The end result of being given to and for one another, that is, Son to the world and world to the Son, is the same. Both verses conclude with eh promise of eternal life for all who believe.

It is unlikely that signs saying ‘John 3:35’ will begin popping up at US sporting events. But next time you see someone pointing to John 3:16, remember that it conveys only one half of this wonderful message. For the second half we must keep reading. God so loved the world that he gave his Son that all who believe will have eternal life. This is most certainly true.

But there is more.

It is equally true that ‘God so loved the Son that he gave him everything (that is, the world), that all who believe in him may have eternal life.’

We have Jesus and Jesus has us. Both are held together by the bonds of God’s love. And that, indeed, is good news.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Text: Luke 3:7-18 Advent 3.

(Jer 17:9) “the heart is deceitful above all things; and desperately corrupt– who can understand it?”

Text: Luke 3:7-18
Advent 3.